Collapsible shoe rack



Oct. 23, 1934. J. w ARNOLD 1,978,289

C OLLAPSIBLE SHOE RACK Filed June 30, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 23, 1934. J. w. ARNOLD COLLAPSIBLE SHOE BACK Filed June 30, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented Oct. 23 I934 1,978,289" 4 i 6' Q L A $I LE save RAC This invention relates to a collapsible shoe rack and. it is aimed to provide a novel construction which is capable of use in all branches or departments of a modern shoe factory, in order to 45" accommodate shoes in the different and various stages of manufacture.

One prime object is to providea novel construction having a rack member which is convertible to support the finished shoes without danger, of

T11 marring or scratching.

Another important aim is to produce a rack having all parts foldably connected so as to cocupy minimum space during transportation and to be rendered operative simply by unfolding 15-ymovement at the factory, thereby avoiding the necessity of nailing, screwing, or otherwise securing the knocked down parts together.

As a result of the invention, the shoe rack may be made much less expensively and be used with 2 a; greater efliciency and less labor.

Various additional objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating an operative g; embodiment. a

In said drawings:--

Figure 1 is a plan view of the rack;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the rack;

. Figure 3 is an end elevation of the rack;

Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the plane of line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the rack in collapsed or folded condition;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially on the same plane as Figure 4 showing one of the shelves or tray members;

Figure 7 is a detailsectional View taken on the line 7--7 of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 6 but showing the rack or shelf in an opened position;

Figure 9 is a detail section taken on the line 99 of Figure 4, and

Figure 10 is a detail section taken on the line 10-10 of Figure 9.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the component parts may be made of metal, wood, or compositely of metal and wood as preferred. Two frames are employed, each consisting of two corner posts at 10 and base bars 11 rigidly connecting the different pairs of corner posts together. Casters 12 are preferably secured to the base bars 11 and braces 13 extend from such base bars 11 to the corner posts 10. Said sec- 'tions in operative position appear as best shown flfhpplication June p;19 ;,1S h ws: Y a aoiaims... o1. 211 es) in Figures ,1, 3, and 4.; When not in use, howeventhe' sections may be collapsed or folded against each other as shown in Figure 5. To this end, toggle links 14 are pivoted at 15 to the corner posts and are pivotally connected together and to an actuating rod 16, at 17, the rod 16 comprising sections pivotally connected together as at 18. It will be realized that the sections may be separated or drawn together through depression and raising of the operating rod 16. In order to limit the links to a horizontal position, one or more of them may have a lug at 19 adapted to abut its companion.

In order to brace and rigidly hold the sections separated and in operative positions, skeleton frames 20 are employed. Such frames 20 in operative position extend between the end corner posts, but are movable to positions at a right angle thereto when the device is collapsed. To permit such movement, hinge members or straps 21 are secured to the frame sections and pivoted at 22 to adjacent corner posts, such hinge members being spaced apart so as to expose and not I interfere with adjacent structure for the racks or shelves, as later described, as the frame sections 12 are moved to and from operative and collapsed position. i

One section of the frame carries any suitable number of shoe-supporting racks, trays, or

shelves 23 which are pivotally connected thereto by means of rods 24. These racks or shelves 23 in the collapsed position of the device hang from the pivots 24 and assume a vertical position as shown in Figure 5. In the operative position, they are supported through the engagement of separable fastening means between the frame and the other section, for instance by means of lugs 25 carried by the racks or shelves and detachably entered in socket members or brackets 26. In detaching the shelves or brackets from the socket members 26, the shelves are swung upwardly and rearwardly.

Said shelves are equipped with any suitable number of spaced pegs 27 along one longitudinal edge and along the opposite longitudinal edge with a rail 28. Shoes, therefore, may be engaged with the pegs or placed on the racks in different sections or parts of the factory during the different stages of manufacture of the shoes. Each rack further has end rails at 29 in which rods 30 are pivoted, held down, and further pivotally mounted by staples 31 on the racks. Said rods 30 carry panels 32, on the top of which portions of shoes may normally rest. Such panels 32, however, may be raised as particularly shown in Figures 4 and 6, to loosely clamp pieces of leather, used in the manufacture of the shoes, at 33. Furthermore, the rails 28, normally under surface of the panels 32, and the portions of the rack 23 over which the panel 32 is normally disposed, may be padded by a sheet of felt, paper, or any other preferred material 34, enabling the panel 32 to be thrown back as particularly shown in Figure 8, and the padding 34 to be exposed covering practically the entire upper surface of the rack to receive shoes in the final stages of manufacture, preventing marring or scratching thereof by the racks or grit thereon.

The racks in their normal position maintain the skeleton frames 20 in operative positions and generally serve to rigidly brace the structure.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:-

1. A rack of the class described comprising a body, a rod thereon, a panel pivotally mounted by said rod, and padding on the normally under surface of the panel and the adjacent portion of the body exposed when the padding of the panel is exposed.

2. A rack of the class described comprising a body, a rod thereon, a panel pivotally mounted by said rod, padding on the normally under surface of the panel and the adjacent portion of the body exposed when the padding of the panel is exposed, and a rail along one edge of the body.

3. A rack of the class described comprising a body, a rod thereon, a panel pivotally mounted by said rod, padding on the normally under surface of the panel and the adjacent portion of the body exposed when the padding of the panel is exposed, a rail along one edge of the body, a supporting frame for the rack, pivot means carried by the rail and engaging the frame, and supporting means between the rack and frame to hold the rack in operative position.

JAMES W. ARNOLD. 

